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If you’ve ever navigated a health crisis, you know just how overwhelming it can be. That feeling is something Chase Hill remembers well. His mother, Moira Hill, was diagnosed with breast cancer in the early 2000s and treated at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“When you're going through something traumatic, whether it's cancer or another health condition, it's really hard to keep up with what you're supposed to be doing and understanding how to navigate between doctors, appointments and everything else,” Chase recalled. “I’m very thankful for my mom’s experience with Massey and for her outcome.”

More than two decades later, Moira is in remission. And Chase, 46, is now a dedicated advocate of Massey – championing patient support and access through a major gift to the cancer center that healed his mother.

‘We don’t want to leave any patient behind’

Witnessing Massey’s expertise and compassion firsthand has inspired generations of the Hill family to rally behind the cancer center. Chase’s father, C.T. Hill, served as a board member and co-chaired Massey’s Research for Life campaign. The fundraising effort ran from 2007 to 2015 and helped pave the way for the center to achieve comprehensive status from the National Cancer Institute in 2023.

“Moira’s care showed how important a world-class cancer facility is for Richmond and our family,” C.T. said. “She had cutting-edge treatment thanks to the knowledge gained from Massey being a research institution.”

Chase followed in his father’s footsteps, serving on the Massey Alliance Young Professional Board before joining the Advisory Board in 2024. Learning more about Massey’s programs and the research advances being made has motivated him to help ensure more people receive the same level of care his mother did.

“Research is really important, and so is supporting the overall structure of the center,” Chase explained. “Helping improve patient access is something that inspires me.”

In 2024, he and his wife Lara made a gift to the Burgess-Herndon Fund to support the care and comfort of patients. The fund covers expenses such as utility bills, housing costs and transportation to and from treatment, as well as chaplain services.

“At Massey, we don’t want to leave any patient behind,” said Whitney Meleski, a licensed clinical social worker who is Massey’s patient and family support manager. “Our patient support services are designed to address each individual’s needs with the same level of attention that we give to providing the best possible cancer care.”

Creating a family mission statement

As chief financial officer and senior wealth advisor at Heritage Wealth Advisors, Chase says philanthropy is top of mind both on the job and at home. He regularly encourages clients to think beyond investments. C.T. and Moira Hill pictured at the Massey Club’s 30th Anniversary event in 2022. (Photo credit: Duane Berger)

“When you think about your situation, you want to consider your family’s legacy. It’s more fun to talk about the values that you have created and the mission statement you want carried on through your children and giving,” he said.

Through his advocacy for Massey, Chase also promotes the center’s commitment to expanding its impact into rural communities and areas in need of access to high-quality health care.

“Having more opportunities to reach out to people where they live and seeing better outcomes is pretty amazing,” Chase said. “Massey is special. We're really fortunate in the city of Richmond to have such a great resource available to us. I want our whole region to benefit from the access my mom had.”

If you are interested in supporting patient care through the Burgess-Herndon Fund or learning more about Massey’s efforts to expand patient access, contact Carissa Liverpool at liverpoolc@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1450.

Written by: Amanda Kowaleski